Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1887-04-12

cigars were hastily burned in a caboose
stove. In another case "a tip resulted
in two bolts of fine silk bein glthrown from
a caboose into the Monongahela river
while crossing the Pan Handle bridge.
In another case a crew broke open car
and found it full of organs. One of the
men enraged by finding nothing OF a steal
able kind thrust an Iron bar into an or
gan and ruined it. We have evidence
that a freight conductor broke into car,
opened piano and sat and played it all
night, stopping at midnight to eat his
supper off of the polished top. The same
fellow was humping piano In dive
last night when captured.
BOLTS OF CLOTH STOLEN.
Another brakeman who lives on Wylie
avenue stole bolt OF cloth, had a suit
made for himself and gave cloth for two
other suits to two Of his friends. An
other man has become an expert on a
stolen accordion. In all my experience
OF twenty-five years | never saw such a
taste of miscellaneous stealing; every
thing except a coffin and blacksmith 8
anvil has been stolen and made use or.
Some OF our detectives assure me this
morning that not man was arrested but
had from halt dOZ n to dozen pairs OF
clean socks of the finest quality ard a
large assortment of shirts of all kinds"
MAKING THE ARRESTS.
The thieves who were not arrested at
their homes were taken from their trains.
To do this it was necessary to display Il
red light at the Second avenue crossing
and side track the trains as they came in .
This was so quickly executed that when
the thieving crew mustered on the little
platform to ask what the red light meant
they could see glistening on the wrists
OF each other the fearful implements OF
justice by which the officers gathered them
together. The conductor and brakemen
looked aghast at each other as the guilty
knowledge of their crimes came before
them,
MANY TRAINS SIDE-TRACKED,
Train after train was side tracked until
the alleged thieves were arrested, and
cabOose cars containing many evidences
OF their long continued depredations
were cut loose and searched. The COM
bination TO rob the freight trains necessi-
tated guilty knowledge and actual par
ticlpation Of the conductor, middle
brakemen Zone or mOre( and rear brake
man or tiagman. 1t did not OF necessity
take in the front brakeman or flagman,
nor the engineer or fireman, but the others
had to be in to make it work, and it did
work. 1t was not required that they
NIbCh u aims W lOUs lucy WtI6
finer fingered operators than that. They
were no mere gatherers up of scattered
goods, like the mob who carried off hams
at the recentriots.
FULL OF EXCUSES.
Every excuse which they knew could
not we'll be denied was given for broken
cars when they neglected, which they
frequently did. to seal or lock them up
again. Government bonded cars were
broken perhaps Oftener than the ordinary
Union line or common freight cars. In
these they always knew they could get
choice goods. Silks, cigars, rifles, all
kinds OF imported fire arms and caddIes
OF tobacco seemed to be some OF their
necessities. Boxes of shoes aud the
general run of merchants supplies for
their every day use were found openly
in the cabOOse cars of each train.
RECKLEssLY BOLD.
Hundreds of boxes which had con-
tanned the finest OF imported cigars were
found on these trains boldly used by the
men to hold their caps and overalls and
lanterns and waste stuff. SO bold had
they become that the United States regu-
lations, strlct as they are, had lost all
terror for them. Whilst the GUS
tom house officers were trying to trace the
goods, and merchants here and else where
were CORES sponding with shippers, and
special agents at special pay were
wondering how this could possibly be.
and loading down the letter books with
theories which flew around as indefinite
as smoke, the operators smoked their
Havanas within the very shadow OF the
court and OF the custom house and
laughed at their masters who suffered
loss.
BURNING EVIDENCE.
Fires were i'll progress to-day all along
the line of the Pan Handle road, made uU
OF stuff taken out of cabOose cars, that
the evidence OF things not seen may be
wanting when the trial comes. Word
was telegraphed along the road for
particulars OF eacn case. Freight
trains have hauled up at water
tatlons aud delay made till
tue caboose was swept and garnished,
and in doing so evidence has been pro.
cured against unsupported railroad men
which 1t will be hard to overturn. Almost
every man arrested had from one TO ten
pawn tickets for all sorts Of articles on
his person. 1t is alleged that every pawn
shop in the two cities of Pittsburg and
Allegheny is represented on the tickets.
Property TO the amount Of several thou
sand dollars is said TO be recoverable n
this way alone.
QUIETNESS IN THE YARDS.
About the Pan Handle yards to-day
there was a scene OF quietness that indi-
Gated that something unusual had hap
pened. Where there is usually scene OF
noisy odstle, the crews OF men that had
been arrested had left large number of
trains deserted. There were twenty-four
OF these trains piled closely together on
the side tracks in the yards. The deten-
tion Of freight, however, was only tenn
porary. The railroad officials had
taken special precautions TO con-
tlnue moving their freight promptly.
An extra force of sixty men had been en-
ployed. These were put on the deserted
trains In place OF the arrested employees.
When it became generally known that a
large number OF men had been arrested,
applicants Tor positions commenced to
flock to the depot by the score.
At a late hour tonight j. X. Dunlap.
who is regarded as the ringleader OF the
gang, made confession to the detectives,
In which he implicated several outsiders,
and located "iences" at Dennison, o.,
New Philadelphia and other places.
Blaine Never in Danger.